Temporal Incursion Unit
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: A behind the scenes look at the operations of the Federations' Temporal Incursion Unit, tasked with correcting changes in the time line made by Star Fleet personnel.


STAR TREK  
"TEMPORAL INCURSION UNIT"  
by J. B. Tilton  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer:"Star Trek" and all related characters and events are the sole property of  
Paramount Pictures, Inc., except for those specifically created by me for this story. This  
is fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.  
  
* * *  
  
A behind the scenes look at the operations of the Federations' Temporal Incursion  
Unit, tasked with correcting changes in the time line made by Star Fleet personnel.  
  
* * *  
  
Commander Jason Conway sat at his desk filing out paperwork. It was a never  
ending task. Since the mental collapse of his predecessor, Captain Braxton, two years  
earlier, there had been many discrepancies discovered in the records. It had taken  
nearly the entire two years to straighten out the mess. In a week, Conway was  
scheduled to deliver another semi-annual status report to a Federation subcommittee  
on the status of the Temporal Incursion Unit. So far, that report was looking very  
favorable.  
  
"Excuse me, sir," said a voice from his doorway.  
  
Conway looked up to see Ensign Peter Givens standing there holding a PADD. The  
ensign had a look of concern on his face; never a good sign.  
  
"What is it, ensign?" asked Conway.  
  
"Uh, sir," stammered Givens, "we've located another incursion."  
  
He handed the PADD to Conway. Conway skimmed the entry over. He would read  
the entire entry in depth later. Right now, he was looking for a name. He located the  
name within seconds. When he did, he groaned.  
  
Admiral James T. Kirk.  
  
He laid the PADD down and rubbed his eyes. Another incursion by Kirk. An  
incursion defined by the Temporal Incursion Unit was a change in the proper time line.   
And it seemed they were constantly finding incursions which they could attributed to  
Admiral Kirk. It was beginning to become much too routine. Even five hundred years  
after Kirks' death (his real death, not his reported death aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-B)  
they were still finding changes Kirk had made to the time line.  
  
"Okay," said Conway, not bothering to look up. "Give me the gist of it."  
  
"Well," began Givens, "it seems that Admiral Kirk traveled back in time to the late  
twentieth century. Something about procuring two humpback whales for transport to his  
own time."  
  
"I know the story," said Conway. "I've read the report. An alien probe was  
vaporizing Earth's oceans and Kirk went back to get the whales to answer the probes  
hail. It seems that, at least in this instance, his trip back through time was warranted."  
  
"Yes, sir," said Givens. "Well, while he was back in the twentieth century, it seems  
he managed to heal an old womans' affliction. Something about her spontaneously  
regenerating new kidneys. It caused quite a stir in the medical community. When they  
tested the woman, they found traces of dextrosaligine in her system."  
  
"Dextro what?" asked Conway.  
  
"Today, it's a base compound for many of our anti-rejection drugs," said Givens. "It  
fools the body into accepting transplanted organs."  
  
"And I presume it's not supposed to be around in the twentieth century," said  
Conway.  
  
"No, sir," said Givens. "Dextrosaligine was first synthesized by Dr. Rupert Miles in  
2117. It's not a natural compound and can only produced in the laboratory. We've  
determined that it could only have been introduced while Admiral Kirk was back in  
time."  
  
"That doesn't make any sense," said Conway. "Kirk was a star ship captain. He had  
no medical training. How would he have known what to give the woman? And why  
would he? This is a typical Kirk blunder. Forge on ahead, circumstances be damned."  
  
"If I may, sir," said Givens. "According to our records, there was a Dr. Leonard  
McCoy with Admiral Kirk. They apparently were very good friends most of their lives. I  
took the liberty of looking up Dr. McCoys' record. It's very impressive. Retired Surgeon  
General of Star Fleet, numerous commendations, and he pioneered and designed  
many medical procedures which we still use today. I would suggest that it was probably  
Dr. McCoy who gave the woman the drugs rather than Admiral Kirk."  
  
"That makes more sense," said Conway. "McCoy was a very passionate, very  
caring man. Even if he was a bit impulsive. If McCoy had met the woman, he might  
have given the woman some medication to relieve her suffering. It would have been in  
keeping with his character."  
  
"That wasn't in any of the reports, sir," said Givens.  
  
"I have no doubt of that," said Conway. "Not everything was put into their reports  
back then."  
  
"Yes, sir," said Givens. "From what we know of the effects the woman exhibited,  
we've narrowed down the possible drugs he could have given her to three. In all  
likelihood, it was something called darvakonan. It's been known to stimulate the bodies  
regenerative process."  
  
"I see," said Conway. "So, Ensign, what are the repercussions from this incident?"  
  
"The woman was named Mildred Tucker," said Givens. "Originally, Mrs. Tucker  
died four years later at the age of 87. Cause of death was listed as congestive heart  
failure exacerbated by her kidney problems. Her granddaughter, Mary Anne Tucker,  
cared for her until her death. After Mrs. Tucker died, Mary Anne entered law school  
where she met her future husband."  
  
"And that's changed?" asked Conway.  
  
"Yes, sir," said Givens. "Mrs. Tuckers' restored kidneys allowed her to live to the  
age of ninety four. She died quietly in her sleep. Her granddaughter continued to care  
for her until her death. Mary Anne never went to law school and never met her  
husband. She died at the age of sixty three, unmarried and childless."  
  
"Did her law training contribute significantly to the time line?" asked Conway.  
  
"Not directly, sir," said Givens. Actually, she had to drop out of school halfway  
through her second year. She had been married about one and a half years and  
discovered she was pregnant. She never did go back to law school and spent the  
remainder of her life raising their three children."  
  
"So, where's the problem?" asked Conway.  
  
"Mary Anne married one Malcolm Archer," said Givens. "Malcolm Archer was a  
direct ancestor to Captain Jonathon Archer; the captain of the first star ship named  
Enterprise. That was pre-federation, sir."  
  
"I see," said Conway. "So, no marriage to Malcolm Archer, no Captain Archer.   
Captain Archer was instrumental in establishing many of the standard procedures used  
by the Federation Star Fleet when it was formed."  
  
"There's more sir," said Givens. "In the new time line, the first Enterprise was  
commanded by Captain Harrison Taylor. Captain Taylor disliked Vulcans even more  
than most humans did. It was almost a bigotry with him. He never allowed  
Sub-Commander T'Pol to join the crew of the Enterprise beyond their original mission to  
return a Klingon to his home world.  
  
"Early in the first missions of the Enterprise, it encountered a Klingon war ship.   
Some words were exchanged and the Klingon commander apparently lost his temper.   
He destroyed the Enterprise with all hands."  
  
"Not good," said Conway.  
  
"No, sir," said Givens. "The Enterprises' record was one of the deciding factors in  
naming one of the first Federation ships Enterprise. This never happened. Captain  
Kirk never commanded the Enterprise. He was, instead, captain of the U.S.S.  
Mendola. And he never achieved the notoriety he did in the original time line."  
  
"The Mendola?" asked Conway. "Wasn't that a garbage scow?"  
  
"Yes, sir, it was," said Givens. "Kirk was not present at several key times in  
Federation history. He and Captain Spock, his first officer, never became friends.   
Captain Spock left Star Fleet only five years after he enlisted. Mostly at the urging of  
his father, Ambassador Sarek. This has caused other changes in the time line."  
  
"Okay, okay," said Conway, "I'm beginning to see the problem."  
  
"With your permission, sir," said Givens, "I've classified this as a level two incursion."  
  
"Fine," said Conway. "I suppose you've run this all through the computers."  
  
"Yes, sir," said Givens.  
  
"And have you been able to come up with a reconstruction scenario yet?" asked  
Conway.  
  
"Yes, sir," said Givens. "Based on the information we have on hand, it will require a  
two-fold assignment.  
  
"First, someone has to go back and make sur that the dextrosaligine is not  
discovered by the doctors of the twentieth century. The premature discover of that has  
caused alterations in the medical time line."  
  
"Okay," said Conway. "How do we prevent them from discovering this dextro whatever  
it is?"  
  
"The sample of Mrs. Tuckers' blood has to be contaminated," said Givens, "so they  
can't use it. A minor 'accident' should accomplish this. Something as simple as  
someone bumping into whomever is carrying the vial with the sample should suffifce."  
  
"How does that solve our problem?" asked Conway.  
  
"They won't be able to use that sample," said Givens. "They'll have to draw another  
sample for testing. The doctors in the medical department assure us that the time  
involved in getting a second sample will allow the dextrosaligine to become  
undetectable in her blood."  
  
"That should be easy enough," said Conway. "You said it would require a two-fold  
assignment. What's the second part of the assignment?"  
  
"That's a bit more touchy, sir," said Givens. "As I said, Mrs. Tucker originally died  
four years after Admiral Kirk visited of congestive heart failure. In order to reset the  
time line, we have to make sure that happens.  
  
"The doctors in the medical department say they can provide us with a number of  
drugs that will induce a coronary and make it appear to be natural. They also say the  
drugs will be undetectable by the medical community of that time."  
  
"What's the proposed plan?" asked Conway.  
  
"Very simple, sir," said Conway. "We transport an operative back to the appropriate  
date into Mrs. Tuckers' bedroom. While she's asleep. The operative can then  
administer the drug, then we transport him back here. Mrs. Tucker will suffer a fatal  
coronary and everything should return to the way it's supposed to be."  
  
"What's so touchy about it?" asked Conway. "Seems pretty straight forward to me."  
  
"Well, sir," said Givens, "you'll be sending someone back to cause the death of  
another person. An otherwise healthy person, relatively speaking. Some people might  
look on it as murder. Captain Braxton always had a problem with these types of  
assignments. He agonized over them a great deal. I believe it might have contributed  
to his breakdown."  
  
"I don't look at it that way," said Conway. "The chronotron generator that allows us  
to travel in time also isolates us from any changes in the time line. It's why we and our  
records know when changes occur. I don't see it as murder. We're simply correcting  
the changes.  
  
"It's been, what, seven hundred or eight hundred years since the change occurred?   
No matter what we do, Mrs. Tucker is still going to be dead. It's better if her death  
occur when it was supposed to. And that it have a purpose and mean something."  
  
"I understand, sir," said Givens.  
  
"Good," said Conway. "Who's available for the assignment?"  
  
"Lieutenant Draggard," said Givens. "He's already made several trips back to that  
time period. He familiar with it and he should be able to complete the assignment with  
a minimum of complications."  
  
"Okay," said Conway. "Draft the orders and I'll sign them right away."  
  
"Yes, sir," said Givens.  
  
He left the office and went to prepare for the time jump. Conway sat daydreaming  
about the time travel equipment. With it, anyone could accomplish anything they  
wanted to. His mind wandered over the possibilities as he had done on several  
occasions before.  
  
"I wouldn't," said a voice from the hallway.  
  
A Betazoid Commander stuck his head in the door.  
  
"I thought you promised not to read my mind without permission?" said Conway,  
smiling.  
  
"Not my fault if you're boradcasting your thoughts," said the Betazoid. "And you  
know there's no way to take Kirk or anyone out of the picture and still have everything  
come out the way it's supposed to."  
  
"I know, Trak," said Conway. "I wouldn't really do anything, you know that. It's just  
nice to imagine what it might be like without Kirk polluting the time line all the time."  
  
"I hear you're giving another report to the committee," said Trak.  
  
"Yes," said Conway. "Next week."  
  
"Rumor has it that the committee has been very impressed with your reports so far,"  
said Trak. "I understand if they like this report enough, you could come out of that  
meeting a captain."  
  
"What?" said Conway, feigning surprise. "And actually outrank you for a change?"  
  
"First time since the academy," said Trak, smiling.  
  
"I'd be careful, Commander," said Conway. "I still need a senior officer to supervise  
the semi-annual beryon sweep to purge the system of the excess chronoton particles."  
  
"I think I need to get back to security," said Trak. "I think there's a bunch of reports  
down there I need to finish up."  
  
"I thought you might," said Conway.  
  
Trak was right about one thing. This assignment would get Conway promoted to  
captain very soon. He had been told almost that exact thing when he had accepted the  
assignment from Admiral Reork.  
  
He opened his desk drawer and took out the captains' rank insignia he kept there.   
Captain Jason Conway. He liked the sound of that.  
  
Admiral Kirk might be a pain in the ass about polluting the time line. But when it  
came to promotions, he could definately put someone on the fast track.  
  
THE END  
  
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Enterprise" stories at my website,  
www.geocities.com/aramath/. You can also post your own "Enterprise" stories if you  
like to write fan fiction. 


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